Kobe Bryant jersey sold for $5.8 million / News - Basketnews.com

A signed Kobe Bryant jersey from his MVP season in 2007-08 season was sold for $5.8 million, becoming the most expensive Bryant item.

Credit: RS-Scanpix Credit RS-Scanpix

A signed Kobe Bryant jersey from his 2007-08 MVP season was sold for $5,849,700, Dan Hajducky from ESPN reports.

It's the most expensive Bryant item sold and the second most expensive basketball jersey ever sold.

Per Sotheby's, the jersey's lot includes a collection of photographs by Greg Cohen of those murals. Also, there are a variety of materials that depict this jersey, including artwork, magazines, newspapers, T-shirts, photographs, pins, books, and others in the lot -- as well as photo matching and a letter of authenticity.

"This jersey is iconic in a way we seldom see in sports artifacts," said Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's head of streetwear and modern collectibles in a statement. "The image of Kobe wearing this particular jersey during the NBA Playoffs has permeated in popular culture, reprinted on murals, books, newspapers [and] has become a symbol of his fierce determination and passion that has resonated with audiences across the world."

Bryant wore this jersey during his 2007-08 MVP campaign. That season he averaged 28.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

Only a handful of non-sports card items have ever surpassed the $5 million threshold.

When a Babe Ruth jersey circa 1928-1930 sold for $5.64 million in June 2019 with Hunt Auctions, it was the first piece of sports memorabilia to eclipse that number.

Since then, $5 million has been spent on Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" championship belt that sold for $6.18 million with Heritage Auctions in July of 2022; the 1892 Olympic Games manifesto fetched $8.8 million later in 2019;

Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" jersey sold for $9.28 million (also with Sotheby's) last May and the Jordan "Last Dance" jersey at almost $10.1 million.

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